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Direction and policies

IRO Direction 2023-25

The role of the Workers Compensation Independent Review Officer has been re-established as the Independent Review Officer from 1 March 2021 under the Personal Injuries Commission Act 2020.

The Office of the Independent Review Officer (IRO) is a separate public service agency with expanded jurisdiction to deal with complaints from persons injured in motor vehicle accidents and to manage and administer the Independent Legal Assistance and Review Service (ILARS) as a legislated function.

The IRO Direction 2023-2025 encompasses these reforms, and sets out the Mission, Priorities and underlying Strategies for transformation and improvement for the Independent Review Officer. 

The IRO will report on progress against the Direction 2023-25 in future Annual Reports.

IRO Values

The core values for the Independent Review Office (IRO) and principles that guide their implementation incorporate the four (4) government sector core values in section 7 of the Government Sector Employment Act 2013, and two (2) IRO specific values – independence and expertise.  There is no hierarchy among the values and each is of equal importance. The values and principles are:

Independence

  • Operate independently from insurers, injured persons, advocates and government
  • Deal with injured persons, their lawyers and insurers fairly
  • Strive for early solutions that are fair and reasonable
  • Call out system problems and work constructively with all concerned to fix them

Integrity

  • Consider people equally without prejudice or favour
  • Act professionally with honesty, consistency and impartiality
  • Take responsibility for situations, showing leadership and courage
  • Place the public interest over personal interest.

Trust

  • Appreciate difference and welcome learning from others
  • Build relationships based on mutual respect
  • Uphold the law, institutions of government and democratic principles
  • Communicate intentions clearly and invite teamwork and collaboration
  • Provide apolitical and non-partisan advice.

Service

  • Provide services fairly with a focus on customer needs
  • Be flexible, innovative and reliable in service delivery
  • Engage with the not-for-profit and business sectors to develop and implement service solutions
  • Focus on quality while maximising service delivery.

Expertise

  • Apply expert knowledge of personal injury compensation laws and systems
  • Stay up-to-date on personal injury compensation developments, research and innovations
  • Engage with and learn from injured persons, insurers, lawyers and colleagues
  • Exchange views and engage in constructive dialogue

Accountability

  • Recruit and promote employees on merit
  • Take responsibility for decisions and actions
  • Provide transparency to enable public scrutiny
  • Observe standards for safety
  • Be fiscally responsible and focus on efficient, effective and prudent use of resources.

Policies

Public Interest Disclosure (PID) Policy

Public servants are encouraged to report suspected or possible wrongdoing in the public sector. This is called a public interest disclosure (PID). IRO’s PID policy provides an effective framework for the reporting and managing of public interest disclosures and the protection and support available for people who make them. IRO's PID policy can be found here.